Race: Heat One
Race: Heat One is the first time we see the characters proving what they've so far only talked about: Racing. Context The first race we see features Greaseball the reigning champion, and his long-time partner Dinah, squaring off against his rivals. Almost every production has altered the race structure, but the first race is Greaseball's for the taking. Music The race music combines various melodies to help tell the story of the action, along with specific melodies for the race itself. Race One invariably features one of Greaseball's numbers, either "Pumping Iron" or "Rolling Stock", plus melodies to represent the other competitors. As this varies from one production to the next, so does the music used. Lyrics As part of the 30th anniversary revisions that started in London and were rolled out in Bochum, lyrics were added to the build-up to both this heat and heat two. As Control announces them, each competitor briefly sings using a fragment of a melody from a song cut from Starlight Express back in 1988, "No Comeback". The same fragment is sung by Electra and Pearl in "Laughing Stock". London 1984 Production In the original London production, all the races had a live announcer commenting on the races, with recorded Control announcing the racers, the countdown and the winner. Each race had three racers. The first engine to win the heat qualifies for the final. "Call Me Rusty", "AC/DC", "No Comeback" all feature in the 1984 Recording of "The Race". The track labelled "The Race" is actually "Race: Heat Two". "Pumping Iron" was the only melody to feature onstage, as neither Espresso or Hashamoto have a major melody. The entries for "Race: Heat One" are as follows: Track One: Greaseball and Dinah (Winner) Track Two: Espresso and Buffy Track Three: Hashamoto and CB Broadway 1987 Production From the opening of the Broadway production in 1987, Control commented on the races, there are four engines competing and the first two engines to finish the win qualifies for the final. The race entries are the same for the 1988 North American Tour and Las Vegas. The entries for "Race: Heat One" are as follows: Track One: Greaseball and Dinah (Winner) Track Two: Weltschaft and Joule Track Three: Turnov and Red Caboose Track Four: Electra and Pearl (2nd Place qualifier) Japanese/Australian Stadium Tour 1987 The national engines are given twins so all of the nationals enter in "Race: Heat One" while their twins race in "Race: Heat Two". The entries for "Race: Heat One" are as follows: Track One: Greaseball and Dinah (Winner) Track Two: Hashimoto and Rocky Track Three: Turnov and Red Caboose Track Four: Electra and Pearl (2nd Place qualifier) Track Five: Bobo and Flat-Top (Volta in 1990) Track Six: Weltschaft and Joule Track Seven: Espresso and Buffy German 1988 Production The entries for "Race: Heat One" are as follows: Track One: Greaseball and Dinah (Winner/Dead Heat) Track Two: Hashamoto and Volta Track Three: Turnov and Red Caboose Track Four: Electra and Pearl (2nd place qualifier/Dead Heat) The races have been re-choreographed on several occasions, but the basic plot is that everyone is playing dirty from the start. Caboose lands Turnov in trouble, and he ends up unable to finish the race. Caboose, possibly aided by Greaseball, then steals Hashamoto from Volta, and by failing to brake his excessive speed, causes Hashamoto to miss the final turn to make the finish line, and Hashamoto crashes. Meanwhile Greaseball and Electra cross the finish line together, and Control calls it a "Dead Heat". The various revisions have made the races gradually more slapstick comedic than athletic - all choreographed stunts rather than speed skating. The Traxes are included as "Race Marshalls", who perform tricks as they speed round the track before the race begins. They also serve to clear away the wrecked Turnov. Musically, Race One originally included the guitar solo from "Pumping Iron", and "AC/DC" to represent Electra's place in the race. The 2013 version includes "No Comeback", and elements that could relate to "Whole Lotta Locomotion". Race 1 L92 1.jpg Race 1 L92 2.jpg Race 1 L92 23.jpg Race 1 l92 24.png London 1992 Production The 1992 revisions to the London production brought the race structure in line with the other productions worldwide. With the removal of Caboose as a character, the races became more random and less plot driven. Krupp took the place of Caboose as the Japanese Engine's partner - now named Nintendo instead of Hashamoto. Rather than rely on a tightly staged Dead Heat finish to the race, Greaseball wins with Electra in second place. The detailed race commentary is preserved on the "New Starlight Express" cast recording. The Music features "Rolling Stock" to represent Greaseball, and "No Comeback" to represent the Electric characters. The entries for "Race: Heat One" are as follows: Track One: Greaseball and Dinah (Winner) Track Two: Espresso and Buffy Track Three: Nintendo and Krupp Track Four: Electra and Pearl (2nd place qualifier) US/UK/NZ Tour - 3D Race Films With the removal of Bobo and Espresso from the touring productions, the number of entries revert back to three entries and the race is filmed in 3D footage. The filmed race footage means that staging a dead heat finish is no difficulty, so the tension between the two main rivals is maintained. Musically the race includes "Rolling Stock" for Greaseball and "AC/DC" for Electra. The entries for "Race: Heat One" are as follows: Track One: Greaseball and Dinah (Dead Heat winner) Track Two: Ruhrgold and Caboose Track Three: Electra and Pearl (Dead Heat winner) Lyrics 2017 London workshop 2018 Bochum Category:Songs